Veritas
by Janeway1390
Summary: Gail's deep undercover assignment leads her to San Francisco where she's bound to run in to her ex-girlfriend.
1. Chapter 1

It was supposed to be an easy assignment. One week undercover. Gail would pose as a new dealer looking to expand her business and find the guy who was circulating a bad batch of heroin in Toronto. Piece of cake.

Gail jumped at the chance to get out of her own life for a little while. After Holly left and Sophie's adoption fell through, she was feeling adrift, so when Oliver asked for volunteers hers was the first hand to shoot up.

That was six months ago.

Turns out, Gail was great at being a drug dealer and even better at making the bad guys trust her. Taking out the dealer turned into taking out the supplier which turned into taking down the entire chain. Now she found herself in the middle of a joint FBI/RCMP task force trying to dismantle the Pulgatti mob family as they jumped between the US and Canada.

It had been a headache since the first time she shook hands with Ronnie Pulgatti, the only son of mob boss Carlo Pulgatti and heir to the Pulgatti operation. Gail wasn't sure why Ronnie took a liking to her, but two days after they met he whisked her off to Chicago to be his new right hand woman. She punched him in the stomach when he woke her up at 6 AM to show her the famous bean.

They'd been best friends ever since. Well, fake best friends. Trouble was, even though Gail was undercover to take him and his family down, she liked the guy. He wasn't some big bad with a thirst for violence and destruction. Ronnie just got caught up in a family business that he didn't really want any part of and Gail could relate.

That's how she found herself on a park bench in Vancouver on a rainy January morning. She'd just dropped off an envelope of what she assumed was cash at the home of Pulgatti's head distributor and was waiting for her RCMP handler to meet her.

It was fucking freezing and he was ten minutes late. Gail was ready to leave when she felt someone sit on the bench behind her.

"You're late," she said bringing her coffee cup to her mouth.

She heard the crinkle of a newspaper opening. "Yours is not the only operation I'm in charge of. What have you got?"

"Nothing concrete, but I think they're planning a massive shipment. I don't have any details yet, but I've been running money around to distributors and exporters for the past two weeks."

"You sure it's money?"

"Yeah. Pretty sure it's American currency. These are the kinds of guys you don't visit unless you're carrying cash."

She heard a sigh behind her. "From what I've heard from the FBI, there are dissidents in the Pulgatti organization. A lot of the higher ups don't think Ronnie has what it takes to be the new boss. This may be his way to prove himself."

"Whatever he's planning he's being careful. I'm with him every day and haven't been able to catch any details."

Gail heard another sigh. "We knew this would take time. You're doing a good job, Peck. Watch your back, your mother would skin me if something happened to you on my watch."

The weight on the bench behind her lifted and she was alone again. God, her mother must be having a field day with this. Gail would bet that Elaine already had an order placed for the medals. Taking a look around, Gail downed the last of her coffee and made her way to meet Ronnie.

/

"How was Frankie?"

"Tried to grab my ass."

"Yeah I should have warned you about that."

Gail tossed her keys on the bar in the hotel room and threw herself into the chair next to Ronnie. He eyed her with a smile. "You look tired, Walker."

The new name thing did take some getting used to. She was Alex Walker now. For the first few weeks she always had to remember to answer to it. Not it was second nature.

"Well, if you'd stop making me run errands at six in the morning I'd have more time for beauty sleep."

Ronnie's grin widened. "You could use it to."

Gail slapped his arm and reached over to grab a piece of toast off his plate. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"We're wheels up in an hour. I've got a meeting in Seattle."

She sighed internally. Gail hated all the flying they did, but she had to admit she could get used to the private plane.

"While we're there I'll need you to run a couple more errands."

That lit up Gail's radar. Something was definitely going down.

"Whatever you say boss."

/

When they landed in Seattle Ronnie gave her five envelopes to deliver, all heavier than the ones she distributed in Vancouver. If she had to bet, Gail would say the shipment was coming from the US into Canada.

"Get those out by 4 o'clock then meet back here."

Gail groaned. "God, if I knew there'd be this much flying I never would have taken this job."

Ronnie patted her on the shoulder. "Come one, Walker. I'm showing you the world."

They locked eyes and Gail instinctively knew what was coming. Her face fell at the glint in his eyes.

"I can show you the world," he started to sing. "Shining, shimmering, sple-"

Gail put her hand over his mouth and they both erupted into laughter. When she heard the disapproving grunt behind them, Gail rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Yuri," Ronnie said turning to him. "Loosen up a little."

Yuri was Carlo's right hand man back in the day. He got stuck babysitting Ronnie and was clearly pissed about it. From the first moment she laid eyes on him, Gail knew he was the real threat. Ronnie didn't have a stomach for the real stuff, but Yuri did. For years he served as the Pulgatti's enforcer. Gail could only imagine how many kills he had under his belt.

"You need to start showing some respect for your position, kid," Yuri said as he brushed passed them.

Ronnie threw Gail a look, but didn't push the issue further. "See you at four," she said before splitting off from the rest of the group.

/

The jostling from the landing woke her. She was surprised to see darkness when she looked out the window.

"Hate to break it to you, but you need more than two hours of beauty sleep to fix whatever you've got going on over there."

Gail raised a hand to her mouth and was glad she wasn't drooling. Her hair on the other hand, was a mess. She smoothed it down with her hands, but didn't fuss over it, there was no one to impress.

"Where are we this time?"

"San Francisco."

Gail just nodded and leaned her head back against the window as they taxied on the runway. When she looks back on it, this will be the moment where she should have realized she was in too deep. Six months ago just the mention of San Francisco would have sent her into a black hole of sadness. She hated San Francisco with their stupid sourdough bread and fabulous jobs that lured nerdy pathologists away. Once while she was on duty, a man walked into her favorite donut shop in a 49ers hat and Gail almost slapped him.

Now it was just another city. Hearing those two words didn't invoke any feeling in her nor did they conjure up images of the woman she was still in love with.

When they got off the plane Ronnie handed her a briefcase. "Take this to Antonio down in the Marina then meet us at Bocce Bar in North Beach."

"I have no idea what any of that means."

"Walker, you're in San Francisco. Google it."

Antonio was Ronnie's favorite export/import expert. The large briefcase of money pretty much confirmed that the drug shipment was leaving from San Francisco. Gail would have to find a way to contact her FBI handler.

After dropping off the briefcase Gail made her way over to North Beach. The bar was nicer than she expected, but still low-key. She headed straight to the bar and ordered a shot of tequila. The bartender reached for a bottle on the top shelf and filled her glass. Gail downed it and motioned for another.

"Why does she get the good stuff?"

The bartender eyed Yuri. "Because Ronnie actually likes her."

Yuri grunted and eyed her as she took the second shot. "You can stop staring at me."

"How'd it go with Antonio?"

"Fine. Where's Ronnie? I need to punch him for sending me to guys who get grabby."

"Over in the corner."

Gail followed his eyes until they landed on Ronnie. He was sitting with a brunette who had her back to Gail. Ronnie seemed to be enjoying himself.

"You jealous?"

Gail scoffed. "Of the girl? No way. I'm not interested in Ronnie."

Yuri raised his eyebrow and sipped his beer. "That's not what I'm insinuating."

If looks could kill Yuri would be in a thousand pieces right now. Gail stood up straight and tried to keep her voice even. "Do you have a problem with me?"

Yuri stared right back, sizing her up. "I haven't decided yet."

"Hey Walker!"

Still keeping an eye on Yuri, Gail turned her gaze to the corner where Ronnie was beckoning her over. She gestured for another shot and took it before making her way across the bar. Ronnie stood and gestured to the brunette. "Walker, I want you to meet my old friend from med school."

The woman turned and Gail froze. The air went out of the room and she was stuck there slack jawed looking like an idiot. If she had been thinking clearly (or at all) Gail would have been worried that her cover was about to be blown. She should have been formulating a plan to get her and Holly out of here without either of them getting killed.

But Gail wasn't thinking clearly (or at all). All she could do was stare at the pathologist as a weight in her chest was lifted. She imagined the look on Holly's face mirrored her own, but it was gone in an instant and replaced with a polite smile.

"Hi, I'm Holly," she said extending her hand.

Gail's eyes drifted from Holly's face to her hand then back again. She was sure any minute Ronnie was going to figure something was off and have Yuri put a bullet in their heads. Then Holly gave her the patented head tilt and she was instantly snapped out of her daze.

"Uh, yeah, hi," she said shaking Holly's hand. "I'm, uh, Alex Walker."

She dropped Holly's hand a stole a look at Ronnie. He looked pleased with himself. _That asshat planned this._

"You have perfect timing, Walker. I was just going to take Holly to dinner, but I've been called away on a business matter. Why don't you two go out instead?"

"It's fine, Ronnie," Holly said noting the panic that flickered across Gail's face. "I really need to finish up some work at home anyway."

Ronnie's smile grew. "Nonsense! You two will have a great time."

Gail grabbed him by the arm and led him a few feet from Holly.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Look you need to have some fun and when I ran into Holly I knew she'd be great for you."

"Are you really trying to set me up?"

"Look it's a harmless dinner. Go have some fun. That's an order Walker." He left her with a wink and a parting smile for Holly.

Gail took a tentative step toward her ex-girlfriend. How the hell was she going to explain this?


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey . . . Alex, we really don't have to go out."

That name sounded even more foreign coming from Holly's lips. Gail looked over to the bar and saw Yuri staring at them. "Yeah we kind of do." She motioned for Holly to follow her as they made their way outside.

"Walker."

Gail was getting real pissed at people beckoning for her. Ronnie's driver was leaning against his town car when they walked out. "The boss said he made reservation for you two at the Steps of Rome. It's a few blocks down. Want a ride?"

"We'll walk. Thanks Bruce."

In truth, Gail wanted a ride. It was cold as hell and she didn't exactly dress for the weather, but the less eyes and ears on them the better. She knew Yuri didn't trust her and probably had someone tailing her right now. Thank god Holly was putting up with the act. She made a mental note to ask the pathologist how she knew to play along.

"So are you from this god forsaken city?"

Gail groaned inwardly. She was finding it hard to fake a conversation when all she wanted to do was throw her arms around Holly.

"No I recently moved here for work," Holly said with a smirk. "You're not a fan I take it?"

"No," Gail said pulling her jacket tighter around herself. "I thought California was supposed to be warm?"

"Common misconception. Well, most of the state tends to be, in the summer at least, but San Francisco is notorious for its fog. The weather here tends to be on the chillier side. Actually, the Bay Area has a vast amount of microclimates, it's fascinating really."

Gail chuckled. Some things never change. "God you really are a nerd."

Holly rolled her eyes, but Gail saw the corners of her mouth tick upward. "So the cold is the sole reason you hate San Francisco?"

"No, I hate it because it has a ridiculous amount of hills and a tendency to steal things from me."

It took her a couple seconds to realize Holly had stopped walking. When she turned back then look on the pathologist's face was like a punch the gut. _Too personal, Peck_. Gail floundered for a response, but Holly cleared her throat and fell back into step beside her.

"Things, huh?"

"People. Well, person," Gail felt the blush creep up her cheeks. "Anyway, that was a long time ago. Another lifetime, really."

When they entered the restaurant, Gail immediately made the tail she assumed Yuri had hired. Young kid, clearly not a lot of experience by the way he openly stared at them. He sat two tables away and she made sure to sit facing his direction so she could keep an eye on him.

"This place is really good. I think you'd like their pesto gnocchi."

"You've been here?"

Holly nodded, setting her menu down on the corner of the table without looking at it. "This is my neighborhood. I was on my way to grab takeout from my favorite pizza place when Ronnie bumped into me."

Gail eyed the kid out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to know more about how Holly know Ronnie, but this wasn't the place for that conversation. After the waiter came and took their order the pair fell into silence once again. Gail knew she should be better at this, hell she'd been great at it for six months, but just being in the same space as Holly threw her off her game.

Holly seemed to pick up on her distress and started talking about all the things Gail should see to change her mind about San Francisco. One of the things the blonde loved most about her ex was how easy it was for her to just talk. Gail wasn't always great at carrying on a conversation, but she could listen to Holly talk for hours. Right now she was content to do just that.

/ / /

"Alex, if you can only do one thing in this city you have to go see Beach Blanket Babylon."

The two women found an easy rhythm to their conversation sometime in the middle of dinner. Gail had missed this, the banter and comfort between them. Now that they were more comfortable, Holly's hand found its way to Gail's arm every time she pointed out a restaurant or landmark on their walk back to her place. Each time it happened, Gail was both put at ease and set on fire.

"What is it?"

"A musical. The actors wear these crazy hats and sing about pop culture and current events."

Gail scrunched up her face.

"That sounds horrible."

"Oh you'd totally hate it, but I'd love to see your face while you watch. It'd be great."

Throughout their walk Gail had kept an eye open for someone following them, but the kid stayed at the restaurant and she didn't spot anyone else suspicious. After a few more blocks they made it to Holly's place and they both stopped awkwardly in front of her door.

"So, uh, this is me."

"It's a nice place."

Holly nodded her head. "Yeah, so thanks for dinner."

"You're welcome," Gail said as she rubbed the back of her neck. She knew this was going to be the hardest part of the night. It seemed like she was always saying goodbye to Holly Stewart. "I had a good time, but we're not going to see each other again."

By the look on her face, Holly was expecting this. "You really don't need to give me the speech. I know what's happening here."

As much as she knew she should, Gail couldn't leave things like this. She needed to tell Holly how much she missed her and how she was going to keep missing her. How seeing her tonight was like finally feeling the warmth of the sun at the end of a long winter. About how all she could think about all night was kissing her. The hard part was finding a way to let her know without saying any of those words.

"I just want you to know-"

Holly's face darkened. "Look Gai-," she clamped her mouth shut and looked around. With a deep breath she started again. "Look, _Alex_, you really don't need to say anything else. It won't do either of us any good."

Gail nodded her head slowly. She hated hearing the distress in Holly's voice. Hated that she put it there. The cop swallowed down the emotion in her throat before giving Holly a strained smile.

"Goodbye, Holly," she practically whispered.

It took the other woman a moment to find her voice as her eyes filled with tears. "Goodbye."

With one last look at Holly, she turned and made her way back down the street. She made it to the end of the block before she heard the thud of Holly closing the door, causing her feet to stop of their own volition. Gail felt a deep pang in her chest. All of a sudden she hated this assignment.

The road in front of her led back to the bar, led back to Ronnie and a life of double crossing mobsters and looking over her shoulder. The road behind her though, the road behind her led back to Holly. It lead back to the one person Gail loved above all else. It lead back to _everything_.

_Screw it._

Gail turned on the spot and ran back to Holly's house. She knocked loudly on the front door, nervously shifting from foot to foot. The instant Holly opened the door Gail's lips were on hers. She pushed them over the threshold and into the warm air of Holly's house. The pathologist reciprocated immediately, pulling Gail further into the living room.

When Holly moaned into her mouth, Gail swore the world righted itself.

Holly was the first to break the kiss, leaning her forehead against the blonde's while they both tried to catch their breath.

"God, I've missed you," Gail smile as she snaked her arms around Holly's neck.

"Can we speak freely?"

"Unless, you've got mobsters living next door, I think we're fine." She pulled back to fully look at the brunette and couldn't help but smile at the joy of the moment. "Speaking of mobsters, how the hell do you know Ronnie Pulgatti?"

Holly returned her smile and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Gail's ear. "We were lab partners freshman year of med school."

"I didn't know Ronnie went to med school."

"He dropped out after the first year. He said it wasn't for him, but I knew he was leaving to go work for his dad."

Gail filed that away in case it came in handy later. Then she remembered her question from earlier. "Why did you pretend not to know me back at the bar?"

"You were hanging out with Ronnie Pulgatti in a foreign city. It was pretty clear you were undercover."

"I knew you were smart," she said as she leaned in for another kiss.

"What the hell is going on, Gail?"

With a sigh, the blonde broke away from the warmth of the other woman to put a few feet of distance between them. How much should she tell Holly? She owed her an explanation, but didn't want to say more than was necessary.

"The gist? I'm working on a joint FBI/RCMP op to take down the Pulgatti family. It all started as a small undercover drug bust and got progressively bigger from there."

"Your mother must be thrilled." Holly ran a hand through her hair taking in the weight of what Gail was doing. "How long?"

"For the past six months." When Holly raised an eyebrow at her she continued, "What? You left quite the hole when you left Lunchbox."

Holly's face softened. She reached out to grab the bottom of Gail's shirt and pulled her closer to her. "I know the feeling."

Gail smiled at their proximity. When Holly noticed her stare she ducked her head and blushed.

"So what happens now?" she asked.

"Well," Gail sighed finding it hard to meet Holly's eyes. "I'm going to kiss you one more time then I'm going back to the hotel and you won't see me until this is over."

"How long will that take?"

All Gail could do was shrug. "As long as it takes."

She could see the argument forming in Holly's brain so she cut her off the only way she knew how. Gail pressed her lips to Holly's once again, lingering for just a moment, knowing the longer she stayed with Holly the harder it would be for her to leave. They locked eyes as they pulled apart, trying to communicate everything left unsaid. Gail forced herself to pull away and headed for the door.

Holly's hand closed around Gail's wrist before she got too far and pulled her back for a searing kiss. She snaked her hand around the blonde's neck pulling her impossibly closer. Gail buried her hands in Holly's hair, giving in to the need to be tangled with the other woman. Before she gave into her desire completely, Gail pulled back from Holly once again.

"You make it really hard to leave, Stewart."

Holly's smile was infectious. "That's kind of the point." She fixed Gail with a serious stare. "Promise you'll come back to me in one piece."

Gail held her gaze. "I promise."

She'd never meant anything more.


	3. Chapter 3

Gail walked around for twenty minutes before heading back to the hotel. Being with Holly had knocked her off her axis, in the best possible way, but she needed to be on her game before going back to Ronnie.

She entered the hotel room with her game face on. Ronnie was sitting at the table with his computer open, clearly deep in thought. When he finally registered her presence he sent her a devious smile.

"I'm surprised you're home so soon."

"Not all of us cash in on the first date Ronnie."

"So how'd it go?"

Gail plopped down on the couch. "She was really nice, but there's nothing really there."

"The lipstick on your neck says otherwise."

She resisted the urge to rub her hand down her neck, but then she remembered Holly hadn't been wearing lipstick, so she threw a pillow at Ronnie. He caught it and set it on the floor next to him, knowing better than to give her back some ammo.

"Look, I appreciate you trying to set me up, but I don't really do the whole hook up thing."

"Who said anything about a hook up? You guys had a ton of chemistry!"

Gail rolled her eyes. "You saw us together for five minutes."

Ronnie closed his laptop and came to sit next to her on the couch. "Okay, look. I ran into Holly outside the bar and we got to talking and she mentioned that she had been a little lonely since moving here. Even though you never said anything, I knew one of the reasons you took this job was to get over someone."

Gail scoffed, but Ronnie ignored her. "You act all tough, but I know there's a soft side to you, Walker. When I saw Holly I was just trying to help two of my friends out."

"I get that," Gail sighed. "And I appreciate you looking out for me, but no more set ups ok?"

Ronnie raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, I get the message. Ready to talk business?"

"Yeah, anything to stop you from talking about my personal life."

"As I'm sure you've gathered, we're planning a big shipment from here to Seattle, then it'll cross the border into Vancouver and we'll distribute around Canada."

"Yeah, the big envelopes of cash were a dead giveaway."

"You're a smart one. That's why I keep you around. There's been a change of plans though. We're going to cut ties with Antonio and try a new exporter named Jacob."

"Wait what!? That's insane!"

"Antonio's getting old. Jacob's an up-and-comer and has a bunch of newer techniques. We're gonna try him out on a trial basis."

Gail sat straight up. This was a bad idea. "We already paid Antonio."

"Consider it a severance package."

"Where is this coming from?"

Ronnie looked affronted, not liking the implication that he didn't think of it himself. After a moment though he relented. "Yuri. He told me he's heard rumblings that Antonio's crew has been getting sloppy. He introduced me to Jacob."

Damn it. Gail's suspicions about Yuri were right. He wanted to take Pulgatti's job and was going to get Ronnie killed in the process. "You can't just fire Antonio."

"We're not. You and I are going to go see him in the morning with a couple thousand as a parting gift."

Gail stood up in frustration. "He's going to take this as in insult, you know that right? Then he's going to shoot you and probably me."

"Don't be so dramatic. He'll be happy to get a ton of cash for doing nothing."

"Antonio's old school. He doesn't care about the money. He cares about respect."

Ronnie was starting to get agitated. Gail knew she should dial it back, but frankly she was pissed at how stupid he seemed to be.

"Ronnie, are you really too stupid to see what's really going on here?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your beloved Uncle Yuri is trying to get you killed so he can take over the Pulgatti family business."

Her boss's face went blank. Ronnie stood up and buttoned his jacket. "You're good at your job, Walker, but you need to learn when to keep your mouth shut. We're going to see Antonio tomorrow morning. End of story."

It took all Gail's willpower not to knock some sense into him right there. Instead, she held her tongue and made her way to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I need a drink."

/ / /

Gail downed the last of her tequila then made her way to the bar's bathroom. She locked the door and fished the burner cell she just bought out of her pocket. She dialed her FBI contact and waited.

"Adams."

"It's Peck."

"Ah, I was wondering when I was going to hear from you. Any news on the shipment?"

"Only that it's definitely happening. I don't have a date yet. Ronnie's cutting ties with Antonio and hiring some kid named Jacob."

"Must be Jacob Romero. He's been on our radar for a while. Antonio has quite the reputation, he's not going to be happy about this."

Someone knocked on the door and Gail yelled at them to fuck off. Whoever had been on the other side sounded pissed, but left her alone.

"Ronnie's making me go with him tomorrow to break the news."

"Want me to send a unit over? Things could get dicey. We already have enough to take down a bunch of guys within the organization. If we catch Ronnie making a deal with Antonio we could put him away for a while."

"Ronnie's not a threat."

Adams paused on the other end. "You're not compromised are you?"

Gail rolled her eyes. "No. What I mean is that Yuri is the guy orchestrating everything. He's setting Ronnie up to get killed so he can take over the business."

"So if we cause a scene at Antonio's tomorrow we'll spook Yuri and this whole op will go down in flames."

"Exactly."

Adams sighed. Gail cold hear him shuffling papers around. "What's your plan, Peck?"

"Well, I'm gonna try not to die tomorrow then I'll deliver Yuri to you on a silver platter."

/ / /

"See," Ronnie said slapping her on the back. "I _told _you we'd be fine."

He was right. Gail fully expected a gun fight or at least for things to get a little hairy, but all things considered, firing Antonio had gone pretty smoothly. He was pissed, but he wasn't homicidal, which was more than Gail could have hoped for. The exporter even invited them to lunch and regaled them with stories from his glory days.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she said trying not to crack a smile. "So what now?"

"Well, Yuri's going to meet with Jacob in a couple hours, then he'll meet us at the bar and we'll finalize everything."

With that Ronnie turned and started in the opposite direction of the hotel.

"Hey, where're you going?" she called after him.

"Not all of us are opposed to casual hookups, Walker."

"Gross," Gail muttered. Well, she had about three hours until she had to meet everyone. For a split second she thought about calling Holly, but shot that idea down right away. The best use of her time would be to get back in touch with Adams, but she was exhausted, so she headed in the opposite direction of Ronnie to catch up on her sleep.

/ / /

Two hours later the shrill ringing of her phone woke Gail up.

"Walker," she replied in a sleep induced haze.

"Peck, are you okay?"

Adams voice woke her up right away. He was calling her on her cover phone. Why did he sound upset?

"You're not supposed to use this number."

"Antonio's dead."

"What!?" She flicked on the light and sat up in bed.

"I sent a team to watch your back just in case things went south. About twenty minutes ago, Yuri and a bunch of Ronnie's guys showed up. By the time our team responded Antonio was dead and Yuri was gone."

"He's making his move."

"Yeah. We're pulling the plug on the op. Where are you?"

Gail's hands immediately went to her gun under the pillow. She got up and checked the window. "I'm at the hotel."

Adams barked orders in the background. "I'm sending a team to retrieve you now. You're cleared to use any force necessary if Yuri shows up before we do."

Gail hoped it didn't come to that. "Roger that."

She hung up and slipped her phone into her pocket. Silently, she pulled on her boots and slipped her spare gun into the back of her jeans. Gail was aware of everything, the honking from outside, the TV from the next room, but something didn't feel right. Ronnie should have been back by now.

With her gun ready, Gail opened the door to her room and entered the hallway of the suite. She nudged the bathroom door with her foot. All clear. She took a deep breath before entering the living room.

"Holy shit!"

Ronnie was sitting in the living drinking a beer. He threw his hands up when he saw Gail.

"What the hell, Walker?"

Gail surveyed the room and lowered her gun. "Come here," she motioned to him. "We've gotta go to my room."

"Why do you have your gun?"

"Because Yuri's on his way to kill us."

"God, will you let that go! We're fine."

A door slamming outside their suite momentarily distracted Gail. The footsteps sounded like they were going toward the elevator so she didn't deem it a threat.

"Listen," she said stuffing her gun in her waistband. Since Ronnie hadn't moved, Gail moved across the room the force him to come with her. "Antonio was killed this afternoon. Yuri is making his mo-"

All of a sudden there was a ringing in her ears and all she could see was . . . Ronnie's shoes? Why was she on the floor?

"Walker! Walker, are you okay?"

His face was next her hers now. Why were they both on the floor? Gail tried to answer him, but she couldn't find her voice. She tried to sit up, but her body wouldn't work right.

"Stay with me, Walker."

Ronnie's voice was distant. She barely registered his hands around her arm before she blacked out.

/ / /

Holly hated the night shift.

Things had been slow in the morgue this week, which was a good thing, but she was bored. She needed something to distract her from Gail and the research paper she was writing wasn't cutting it.

"Goodnight Dr. Stewart. Don't work too hard," a lab tech said poking his head in.

"Goodnight Dr. Nelson. See you tomorrow."

Now that Dr. Nelson was gone, Holly was the only one left in the morgue. Well, Doug the janitor was here, but he mainly spent his time napping in the basement. With a sigh, Holly returned to her paper, failing once again to keep her thoughts from a certain blonde.

A loud thud startled her a few minutes later. She figured it was Doug attempting to work, but she went to check it out anyway. She was about to peek around the door when someone barreled into her office.

"What the . . ."

It was Ronnie. He placed someone on the metal slab in the middle of the room.

"Holly, you need to help her!"

"Ronnie!? What's going on?"

He stepped aside to reveal the person on the slab. It was Gail. She had a bullet hole in her abdomen and judging by the amount of blood pooling around her, she didn't have a lot of time left.


	4. Chapter 4

Holly was pissed.

It was the first emotion she felt upon seeing Gail –and it only lasted an instant—but the anger was real. Gail promised to come back to her in one piece. This wasn't one piece.

The anger was gone as soon as it came and Holly shifted into doctor mode. She checked the blonde for a pulse, it was faint, but there. The pathologist silently thanked the universe for that. Next job was to check the wound. Ronnie had used his own shirt to try and stop the bleeding, but it was already soaked through. There was no exit wound, which meant she'd have to pull the bullet out.

"Get me the first aid kit," she barked at Ronnie. "Third drawer next to the sink."

He brought it over to her and rifled through it, seeming to understand what she was looking for. He handed her as many gauze pads as he could find. When she took them she noticed Ronnie's hands and undershirt were stained with Gail's blood.

"What the hell happened?"

"Yuri must have had a shooter on the roof of the building across the street. They shot her the second she passed in front of the window. I-I had to carry her out of the building."

Holly had no idea who Yuri was, but she knew she didn't want to have to meet him. She checked Gail's pulse again. It was steady, but still weak. "There's a supply room upstairs. I need to take the bullet out and make sure it didn't sever an artery. You need to get-"

"I remember," Ronnie cut in as he hurried out the door.

Blood was already starting to soak through the gauze. "Dammit Gail, if you die I swear I will kill you."

"That a threat?"

Holly's eyes snapped from the wound to Gail's face. The officer's eyes were still closed, but there was a ghost of a smile on her lips. A second later it was replaced by a grimace. The doctor in Holly was glad Gail could feel the pain, it was a good sign. It was killing the girlfriend (or whatever it is she was) that the woman she loved was hurting so bad.

"Ronnie's getting supplies. We'll get you something for the pain and hopefully something to knock you out. Then I'll extract the bullet and check for organ damage and vascular injuries. Then we have to worry about perioperative shock."

"You're not allowed to babble when I can't kiss you to shut you up."

For the first time since a wounded Gail showed up, Holly cracked a smile. "Watch what you say to your surgeon. I haven't operated on a living person in a long time, wouldn't want me to accidently nick something."

Gail attempted to laugh, but it came out a groan. "I trust you."

Holly's hands drifted to Gail's pulse once again. Still steady.

"How bad is it?"

Holly sighed. Not bad compared to all the fatal injuries she'd seen, but even in a hospital this type of wound came with a slew of life threatening complications. She slid her hand from Gail's neck up to cradle her cheek. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Gail tried her best to focus her eyes on Holly. Even fraught with worry, she was the most beautiful person Gail had ever seen. If Holly's face was the last thing she ever saw, well the officer was okay with that. She just hoped it'd be the last thing she saw fifty years from now, not tonight.

"Holly, in case I die . . ."

"Don't even think that."

"I know, but . . . just in case, I want you to know how much I-"

"Gail, it doesn't need saying."

The blonde smiled again. "You're a nerd even in times of crisis."

"Yeah, well you understood the reference."

Holly made a mental note to tease Gail about this if she, _when_ she made it through. She checked the clock, Ronnie would be back any minute.

"Hol, I-I think I'm gonna pass out again. Kiss me in case I die."

Holly leaned down and fiercely pressed her lips to Gail's as if the force of it alone would heal her.

/ / /

"Why didn't you take her to a hospital?"

Ronnie's face still looked stricken, like he couldn't believe this was actually happening. She had finished Gail's surgery about an hour ago. It went as well as she could have hoped. There was no major organ or structure damage, she'd still need an actual hospital and likely a follow up surgery, but she was more or less stable for now. Holly kept her fingers on Gail's wrist to monitor her pulse.

"It's the first place Yuri would look for us. He would have sent people to every hospital in the area to keep an eye out."

"We should call the police."

Ronnie just shook his head. "Believe me, that's the last thing Walker would want us to do. She's a good kid, but she's done a lot of illegal shit. I know the last thing she'd want is to wake up in handcuffs."

Holly rolled her eyes. If Ronnie only knew. "I think she'd like to wake up, no matter the circumstances."

"Holly, I know doing this was asking a lot of you and I want you to know how much I appreciate it. The longer we stay here the more danger we put you in. As soon as she I can travel I'll take her somewhere safe."

That was it. This undercover operation could go screw itself because she wasn't going to let Gail die just to take down some mobsters. Holly would bet that Gail's supervisors already got wind of the shooting and were looking for her. She fished her phone out of her pocket and dialed 911.

"What are you doing?" Ronnie asked, but made no move to stop her.

"I need EMS at 5th and Irving. Tell them there's an officer down."

Ronnie looked at her aghast. "Walker's a cop?"

A gruff voice filled the room. "Her name's not Walker, you idiot."

Holly spun around. The first thing she noticed was the gun pointed in her direction. Then she noticed the tall burly man holding it. Yuri, she presumed, was flanked by two even bigger men. Ronnie took a step forward and moved to his left, away from Gail and Holly. Yuri's gun followed him.

"Let's take this conversation elsewhere, Yuri. These two have nothing to do with this."

Yuri's eyes flicked to Holly. "I have no problem with the doctor, but now she's a witness." Yuri motioned to the lackey next to him, who drew his gun and pointed it at the brunette.

The next thing Holly knew she was on the floor, but she wasn't hurt. Ronnie had pushed her out of the way and was standing in front of Gail, trying to block as much of her as he could. "Get behind the table," he told her without looking away from Yuri. Holly didn't need to be told twice. She quickly scooted around the other side of the table and out of direct sight of the mobsters.

"I have to give you credit," Yuri chuckled. "I wasn't sure you actually had a spine, Ronnie."

"How could you do this? You're my dad's best friend. Why are you trying to kill me?"

Holly startled when Gail's limp hand slipped off the side of the table. She grabbed it and instinctively checked her pulse. The blonde's heart rate had spiked, probably signaling the beginning of shock. Holly ran through her options in her head, but she knew despite the men with guns she'd do anything to try and save Gail. Just as she was about to stand up, Gail's hand grabbed hers and squeezed. Holly had never been more relieved in her life.

"It's business, kid. You'd never be able to run it because you're not willing to do the tough thing."

Gail squeezed her hand one more time before stealthily raising it back up to her side. Holly knew she was planning something and hoped she'd be able to diffuse this situation before they all got killed.

"I can't believe I looked up to you."

"Enough of this-"

A shot rang out. Then another. Holly heard a loud thud, then hurried footsteps and shouts. Gail's head suddenly appeared above her.

"What are you doing on the floor, Lunchbox?"

/ / /

The FBI and SFPD had shown up right after Gail used her spare gun to take down Yuri. They'd whisked him away in an ambulance and arrested the other three, including Ronnie.

"I knew you were tough, Peck," Adams said patting her on the back. "But taking out a Russian baddie only an hour after surgery? That's pretty badass."

Gail just groaned and laid back on the gurney. Holly hopped in the back on the ambulance and waited for them to load to officer into the back.

"Hey, is Ronnie still around here?" Gail asked craning her neck to look around.

"Yeah, he's in the back of one of the squads."

"Can I see him?"

Adams eyed her, but nodded and motioned for an officer to bring Ronnie over. A second later, Ronnie's smiling face appeared above her. She tried to sit up, but it made the world spin so she laid back down.

"You look like hell, Walker."

"It's Peck, actually. Gail Peck."

"I can't believe you're a cop. You played a criminal really well."

Gail rolled her eyes. "Yuri didn't think so."

The smile disappeared from Ronnie's face. "Yeah, well Yuri's an asshole."

"Thank you for saving my life," she told him sincerely. He may be the heir to a mob fortune, but deep down he was still a good guy and for the last six or so months he was the only friend Gail had.

Ronnie just shrugged and gave her his most charming smile. "Holly saved your life. I just carried your ass over here. So what happens now?"

"Well, you're gonna go to jail. For how long is up to you. Cut a deal, Ronnie. Don't get caught up in this life. Protect yourself because I think tonight's proven no one in your organization is going to protect you."

Ronnie looked out into the distance with a grim expression and nodded. The paramedic started to move her, urging them that they needed to get her to the hospital.

"Hey, Ronnie," she called as an officer came to take him away. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You saved my life tonight too."

/ / /

Hours later Gail woke in the hospital with a blissful IV full of morphine. Holly's hand was in hers, the brunette's head resting on the side of her bed. Gail had no idea how Holly was sleeping like that, it looked incredibly uncomfortable. She extracted her hand from the pathologist's so she could run it through her hair. The motion made Holly stir.

"Hey you," she said looking up at Gail.

"Hi."

"Hey," Holly repeated closing her eyes in delight as Gail continued to run her fingers through her hair.

"You said that already."

"You know, it sounded familiar," Holly said with a smile. She caught Gail's hand and placed a soft kiss on her palm. "How're you feeling?"

Gail groaned. Truthfully, the morphine didn't make her feel much, but the stress of the long undercover operation had finally hit her and she was exhausted. "Honestly, I just want to sleep for a week."

"I get that. You were incredibly brave tonight."

"All in a day's work."

"Seriously, Gail. You were amazing."

The blonde sighed. She wished she could find the words to tell Holly that she had been the amazing one. That as soon as she opened her eyes and saw Holly, felt her hand in hers, Gail knew she was going to survive. That there was no one in the world Gail trusted more to get her through any situation. That even if it was the end, having her there meant _everything_.

"I love you."

Holly smiled at her. Her warm and tired smile was the most beautiful thing Gail had ever seen. Holly leaned forward to softly kiss her forehead. "I love you too."

"Uh, Holly?"

"What's wrong, honey?"

"Do you have a twin I don't know about?"

Holly chuckled. "Not that I'm aware of."

Gail's brow furrowed as she looked between Holly and the empty space next to her. "Then why are there two of you?"

"Because your pain meds just kicked in and you're higher than a kite right now."

"Mmm," Gail mumbled as her eyes got heavy. "Well I like it."

/ / /

"You got everything?"

"Yeah, I think so," Holly said taking a look around her empty apartment. She took Gail's hand and led her out the door. It was a rare clear sunny day in San Francisco, a perfect day for Holly's last in the city.

"Anything you'd like to see before we leave? I can have them push our flight."

It'd been about three weeks since Gail had been released from the hospital. That same day Holly had put in her two weeks' notice at work. Now that Gail was able to travel and Holly had wrapped up all her affairs, they were headed back to Toronto.

"Why are you acting so weird today?"

Gail's first instinct was to scoff and brush off the notion, but she sighed instead and stopped to look at her girlfriend. "I just . . . I guess I feel a little guilty that you have to leave. I know you loved it here."

"First of all, you didn't _make_ me do anything. I wanted to go home with you. And second, I liked living here, but I _love_ you."

The blonde gave her a goofy smile. "You're such a sap."

Holly returned the smile and leaned in to kiss her. "I do have one condition though."

"Name it."

"No more undercover assignments."

Gail nodded and kissed her girlfriend again.

"Deal."

* * *

><p>AN: That's the end of this story! Thank you all so much for reading and for your reviews. I have a couple of oneshots in the works so keep an eye out for those!


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